Nonstop flight route between Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Alghero, Sardinia, Italy:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA), Rapid City, South Dakota, United States and Alghero-Fertilia Airport (AHO), Alghero, Sardinia, Italy would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,197 miles (or 8,364 kilometers).

A Great Circle is the shortest distance between 2 points on a sphere. Because most world maps are flat (but the Earth is round), the route of the shortest distance between 2 points on the Earth will often appear curved when viewed on a flat map, especially for long distances. If you were to simply draw a straight line on a flat map and measure a very long distance, it would likely be much further than if you were to lay a string between those two points on a globe. Because of the large distance between Ellsworth Air Force Base and Alghero-Fertilia Airport, the route shown on this map most likely appears curved because of this reason.

Try it at home! Get a globe and tightly lay a string between Ellsworth Air Force Base and Alghero-Fertilia Airport. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA):

• The closest airport to Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA) is Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP), which is located only 7 miles (11 kilometers) S of RCA.
• On 15 July 1945, the 225th AAFBU was inactivated and Rapid City AAB was placed on standby status as the Army Air Forces began to demobilize.
• The furthest airport from Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA) is Sir Gaëtan Duval Airport (RRG), which is located 10,579 miles (17,026 kilometers) away in Rodrigues Island, Mauritius.
• Internationally, the destruction of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 symbolized the imminent demise of the Soviet Union over the next several months.
• To provide air defense of the base, the United States Army established the Ellsworth AFB Defense Area in 1957 and constructed Nike-Ajax Surface-to-air missile sites for air defense.
• An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956.
• Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued.
• In addition to being known as "Ellsworth Air Force Base", another name for RCA is "Ellsworth AFB".

Facts about Alghero-Fertilia Airport (AHO):

• In 1980 Alitalia established a flight school at Alghero Airport which trained up to 100 pilots a year, in conjunction with a diversification of activities including air taxi and maintenance services.
• The airport can be reached from the city via the Strada Statale 42 and from the rest of the island via the SS 131 Carlo Felice Highway and the SS 291.
• In addition to being known as "Alghero-Fertilia Airport", another name for AHO is "Aeroporto di Alghero-Fertilia".
• The furthest airport from Alghero-Fertilia Airport (AHO) is Chatham Islands (CHT), which is nearly antipodal to Alghero-Fertilia Airport (meaning Alghero-Fertilia Airport is almost on the exact opposite side of the Earth from Chatham Islands), and is located 12,109 miles (19,488 kilometers) away in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
• Alghero-Fertilia Airport handled 1,518,870 passengers last year.
• The closest airport to Alghero-Fertilia Airport (AHO) is Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport (OLB), which is located 67 miles (107 kilometers) ENE of AHO.
• 30 March 2009, Alghero Airport became a Ryanair hub, with two aircraft with their crews based there.
• Alghero-Fertilia Airport (AHO) currently has only 1 runway.
• Because of Alghero-Fertilia Airport's relatively low elevation of 87 feet, planes can take off or land at Alghero-Fertilia Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.